Instagram Story Highlights: A Guide for Creators

Instagram Story Highlights: The Ultimate Creator’s Guide to Lasting Engagement

💡TL;DR

Instagram Story Highlights are your profile’s permanent storytelling real estate:

🌟 Why they matter: 73% of users check highlights before following
🎨 Design secrets: Use Canva templates + color psychology for 3x more clicks
📚 Essential categories: “About Me,” “Services,” “Testimonials,” “Tutorials”
⏱️ Refresh strategy: Rotate 30% of content monthly to signal activity
📈 Performance hack: Place “Services” highlight first for 42% more inquiries

Time-saver: Schedule All your Instagram content with Proolance

Why Your Highlights Are Your Secret Sales Funnel

You spend hours creating Instagram Stories that vanish after 24 hours.

But what if I told you that 73% of potential followers decide whether to hit “follow” based on your permanent Story Highlights?

These colorful circles beneath your bio aren’t just decoration – they’re your 24/7 sales team, brand showcase, and audience onboarding tool rolled into one.

While most creators focus on fleeting Stories, smart ones leverage Instagram Story Highlights to:

Convert 42% more profile visitors into followers
Generate 35% of their client inquiries
Showcase their best content without reposting

Ready to transform yours? Let’s dive in.

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Designing Killer Highlight Covers

No design skills needed:

Step 1: Dimension Perfection

Size: 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 ratio)
File type: PNG for transparency

Step 2: Color Psychology

Goal	Color	Psychological Trigger
Sales	Red	Urgency/action
Trust	Blue	Security/calm
Creativity	Yellow	Optimism/energy
Growth	Green	Health/prosperity

Step 3: Free Tools

Canva: Use “Instagram Highlight Cover” templates
Adobe Spark: Customizable minimalist designs
Over: Emoji-focused covers

Pro Tip: Match highlight colors to your brand palette for instant recognition.

15 Must-Have Instagram Story Highlights for Creators

⭐ About Me: Your origin story + personality (include “Why I do this”)
💼 Services: Packages with clear pricing + transformation
🎬 Tutorials: Step-by-steps solving audience pain points
📝 Testimonials: Video reviews + results screenshots
❓ FAQ: Answers to top 5 questions saving you hours
💬 Reviews: Your takes on tools/books (build authority)
📆 Events: Upcoming workshops with registration links
🎁 Freebies: Lead magnets with instant download
🌱 Journey: Your evolution timeline (build connection)
👥 Community: User-generated content features
📚 Resources: Your go-to tools/kits
🏆 Awards: Press features + credentials
💕 Values: Causes you support (builds alignment)
✨ Best Of: Your top-performing content
🔄 Process: Behind-scenes of your workflow

The Highlight Refresh Formula

Stale highlights kill credibility. Follow this schedule:

Weekly: Update Story counts on covers (e.g., “15+ Tutorials”)
Monthly: Add new success stories/testimonials
Quarterly: Redesign covers to match seasonal branding
Biannually: Archive underperforming highlights

Critical: Always add expiration dates to time-sensitive offers (“Limited until MM/DD”).

Instagram Story Highlights Hacks That Triple Clicks

The “Secret” Highlight: Name one “🔒 VIP Only” with exclusive content – increases curiosity clicks by 62%
Numbered Stories: Add “1/5” to series for binge-watching
Link Stickers: Place clickable stickers in Stories within highlights
Pinned Comments: Add context to complex tutorials
Guided Tours: Create a Story saying “Start here →” with arrow pointing to first highlight

Tracking Highlight Performance

Instagram doesn’t show analytics, so track manually:

Screenshot highlight viewer counts weekly
Note which highlights get mentioned in DMs
Add UTM parameters to links within highlights
Ask new followers “Which highlight convinced you?”

Your Weapon to Excecute Your Instagram Content Strategy

Manually posting everyday on Instagram can take you 8+ hours/week – time solopreneurs don’t have.

That’s where Proolance transforms your workflow:

Unlimited Scheduling: All platforms, $20/month flat (no per-post fees)
Batch Schedule: Schedule an entire week’s worth of content in just 1 session.
Optimal Timing Recommendations: Get insights on when your followers are most active in your timezone

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Final Tip: Your Highlights Are Living Content

Treat highlights like your website’s homepage – constantly test and optimize

Your Action Plan:

Audit current highlights (delete/update)
Create missing essentials (Testimonials/Services)
Schedule quarterly refresh reminders

“My ‘Services’ highlight books 5 clients monthly without pitching. It’s my silent sales machine.” – @DesignWithLena

FAQs:

Q: How many highlights should I have?
A: 5-7 ideal, max 10 before crowding occurs.
Q: Can I rearrange highlight order?
A: Yes! Press + hold → drag to reposition.
Q: Do highlights disappear?
A: Only if you delete them – they stay until removed.